When you hear the words nuclear power, something like this might be the first thing that pops
into your mind.
Thanks to the destructive capabilities of nuclear bombs, disasters like Chernobyl and
Fukushima, as well as concerns over radioactive waste, nuclear power generation seems to have
a poor reputation with the public.
However, nuclear power is actually one of the safest, most reliable methods of carbon-free
power generation.
In this video I’ll be talking about Canada’s plans for the future of its nuclear power
generation, which includes innovative new technology like Small Modular Reactors and
Deep Geological Repositories, as well as how nuclear power could play a crucial role reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.
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Now, before we dive into that stuff, let’s quickly go over how nuclear reactors work
and the current state of nuclear power generation in Canada.
In a nuclear reactor, neutrons are fired at uranium atoms, causing them to split and generate
heat and more neutrons.
This causes a chain reaction which is used to boil water and spin a turbine, which generates
electricity.
In order to keep the chain reaction going, a moderator is needed which slows down the
released neutrons, allowing them to split more uranium atoms.
All of Canada’s nuclear reactors use the CANDU system, which is a Canadian designed
reactor that uses natural uranium fuel with heavy water as a moderator.
Other nuclear reactors, such as those in the United States, use enriched uranium and ordinary
water or graphite as a moderator.
So why do Canadian reactors use this different system?
Following World War 2, Canada was trying to develop its first nuclear reactors; however,
Canada didn’t have the capability to manufacture the enriched uranium or the large stainless
steel pressure vessels that other reactor designs required.
This lead Canadian engineers to develop a reactor that can use natural uranium, which
is much cheaper than enriched uranium.
The trade-off of using natural uranium is that an excellent and more expensive moderator,
such as heavy water, is needed to maintain the reaction.
If you want to learn more about how nuclear reactors work, I’ve provided links to my
sources in the video description.
Currently, there are four nuclear generating stations in Canada, three in Ontario and one
in New Brunswick.
There are also a number of other CANDU reactors around the world, as Canada has exported the
technology to countries such as India, South Korea, and China to name a few.
At this point, you might be wondering how safe CANDU reactors are.
There have been a few accidents at nuclear facilities in Canada over the years, but these
have been relatively minor and have not resulted in any deaths.
Worldwide, nuclear energy has caused far fewer deaths per energy unit than other sources
like fossil fuels.
Burning fossil fuels, especially coal, releases pollutants that cause long term health issues.
Furthermore, burning fossil fuels is causing climate change, and nuclear power is a carbon
free alternative!
I could honestly spend forever talking about how safe and clean nuclear power is, but I
want to move on to the main topic of this video, so if you want to learn more then here
are a few great YouTube videos you can watch after this one, and you can check out my sources
in the description.
Now that you know a little about the current state of nuclear power generation, let’s
talk about the future.
Currently, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick are working together to
develop Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs.
An SMR is essentially a small nuclear reactor which generates less than 300 MW of power.
In contrast, the average CANDU reactor generates 700 MW.
SMRs can also be mass produced in factories at relatively low cost and deployed in a variety
of locations, unlike traditional nuclear reactors which must be constructed on site.
Because SMRs can be mass produced to meet a variety of energy needs, they are much more
flexible than traditional reactors.
A larger SMR could supply power to a large and established grid, but smaller SMR designs
could displace diesel generation for mines and remote communities.
A report published by SaskPower, NB Power, Bruce Power, and Ontario Power Generation
in March 2021 proposed three streams for the consideration of the provincial governments.
The first stream proposes constructing a large, 300 MW SMR at the Darlington site in Ontario
by 2028 with four more units to be built later in Saskatchewan.
The second stream proposes to construct 4th generation SMR demonstration units in New
Brunswick by 2030.
These more advanced units would be lower cost, could recycle nuclear waste, and are even
safer than other SMR designs.
The final stream proposes to build a small 5MW SMR unit designed to displace diesel generation
at Chalk River in Ontario.
This small SMR would be in service by 2026!
The development of these projects will rely on continued support from both the Provincial
and Federal governments, as well as from Canada’s domestic Nuclear industry.
At this point I’m sure there are some naysayers of nuclear power preparing to point out its
flaws.
One of the most commonly mentioned problems of nuclear power is the radioactive waste
it leaves behind.
So at this point in the video I’d like to give you a quick overview of how nuclear waste
is currently stored in Canada, as well as the proposed long term solution to nuclear
waste: Deep Geological Repositories.
After nuclear fuel bundles are spent, they’re put into water-filled pools where they cool
down and their radioactivity decreases.
After 7-10 years the bundles get placed in dry storage containers.
The dry storage containers are made with 51cm thick concrete and lined with steel, and they
provide an effective barrier against radiation.
While these dry storage units are safe, they aren’t meant to be a long-term solution
to nuclear waste – they’re designed to last for at least 50 years at which point
the life of the container is extended, or the nuclear waste is moved to a new container.
Used nuclear fuel is dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years, so it’s clear a much
longer-term solution is required.
That’s where deep geological repositories come in.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization has proposed to store used nuclear fuel bundles
in carbon steel tubes coated in copper.
The tubes would then be packed into a clay called bentonite and placed into a repository
deep underground – hence the name deep geological repository.
But the repository can’t be built anywhere underground, it needs to be geologically stable
to avoid any risks of leaks from activity in the earth’s crust.
That’s why the repository will be built in either the billion-year-old granite of
the Canadian Shield, or the 300-million-year-old sedimentary limestone of western Ontario.
With rock that’s been stable for that long, it should be no problem to contain the nuclear
waste for the paltry hundreds of thousands years it takes for its radiation to subside.
However, there are some who are opposed to building Deep Geological Repositories.
Some say that science may be able to find a better solution in the future, like zapping
radiation away with lasers.
If we bury our nuclear waste now then future generations won’t have an opportunity to
do better.
Proponents of DGRs say that nuclear waste has already been building up for decades and
we haven’t found a better solution in that time.
Engineers and Scientists say that DGRs are a safe way to store nuclear waste in the long
term.
Proponents have also suggested that instead we owe it to future generations to solve this
problem now and not let nuclear waste pile up.
Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has said that since Canada has made money selling Uranium
to other countries, we in particular have a responsibility to find a solution.
There is another complication which affects Canada’s plans to construct deep geological
repositories.
The proposed sites for DGRs are on Saugeen Ojibway land.
The Saugeen Ojibway people recently rejected an OPG proposal for a DGR to store low level
nuclear waste, which would have been built near the existing Bruce Nuclear Plant.
The Bruce Nuclear Plant was built on Saugeen Ojibway land without their permission during
a time when Canadian governments didn’t care much for indigenous issues.
After a long consultation process, the Saugeen Ojibway people ultimately voted ‘No’ to
the DGR.
While OPG’s proposed DGR won’t be built as planned, there is another DGR that may
yet be built.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization has also proposed a DGR, this one for high
level nuclear waste.
The NWMO’s proposal is also on Saugeen Ojibway land, who have not yet voted on this second
project.
So, what do you think of Canada’s plans for nuclear energy?
Let me know in the comments below!
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